Definition of 'instant'

Word Frequency

instant

(ɪnstənt)

Word forms: instants

1. countable noun

An instant is an extremely short period of time.

For an instant, Barney was tempted to flee.

2. singular noun

If you say that something happens at a particular instant, you mean that it happens at exactly the time you have been referring to, and you
are usually suggesting that it happens quickly or immediately.

At that instant the museum was plunged into total darkness.

3. phrase

To do something the instant something else happens means to do it immediately.

[emphasis]

I bolted the door the instant I saw the bat.

4. adjective

You use instant to describe something that happens immediately.

Mr. Porter's book was an instant hit.

instantlyadverb

The man was killed instantly.

5. adjective [ADJ n]

Instant food is food that you can prepare very quickly, for example, by just adding water.